Bride For a Mercenary
by ScarlettPlum
Summary: An older mercenary tries to keep Ranger from making the same mistake he did and helps Stephanie and Ranger come to terms with their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The Plum universe and the characters that inhabit it belong to Janet Evanovich.**

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><p>Jedidiah Kelly walked into the diner one hour earlier than expected. He glanced to the back booth – that was already occupied – knowing that would be Manoso's chosen spot. He passed the time at the counter sipping his coffee and when the occupants left the booth, he nodded his head towards the back holding his coffee mug up, indicating that he was changing spots. He figured Ranger would want his back to the wall and eyes on the door, so Jed took that spot for himself just to aggravate. Thirty minutes before their scheduled time, Ranger Manoso walked through the door, eyes immediately finding Jed. Jed watched Ranger's face and saw the slight tensing of his jaw. No one else would have noticed, but Jed was a sort of profiler. Ranger was aggravated that he had been beaten to the meeting and that his spot was taken.<p>

"'Bout time you showed up. Long time no see," Jed grinned.

Ranger didn't speak; he only gave a slight nod of his head as a greeting. The waitress walked over to the booth, refilling Jed's mug and asking Ranger for his order. Ranger told her that he didn't want anything and Jed knew then that this was going to be all business for him.

"So what's it been? Five years? Let's see… it was Santa Fe wasn't it?"

"Eduardo," Ranger nodded.

"Ah good times, good times. You could have killed me, but you didn't. I've owed you and I always pay my debts. That's why when I heard someone was planning a hit on you, I agreed to do it."

Ranger started for his gun, but Jed calmly kept talking.

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already boy. Alverez and I met over coffee to discuss business. You were worth fifty grand by the way. Not quite as popular anymore since your mission days ended, but that's still a pretty good price. I got twenty-five grand up front and Alverez died the next day. I think it was poison. I'm getting older now and I get my herbs mixed up sometimes. Guess the wrong thing slipped into his drink."

A small smile formed on Ranger's face.

"Debts paid now. I'm getting out of the business. Have to say I never thought I'd live to retire. Makes a man think of a lot of things. If I was a gambling man, and I am on occasion, five years ago I would have guessed you'd either be dead from some of the stupid shit that you sold yourself out for or you'd be completely on the wrong side. Not many men are able to do the things we've done and stay moral or sane. And here you have a legitimate security business. 'What brought that on?' I wondered to myself. I always ask around and it sounds like you started to make some changes around five years ago."

"You knew nothing about me then and you know nothing about me now," Ranger stated coldly.

"I know some of the operations you were involved in. And you've done a 180 degree turn. A man only does that sort of thing if he's found religion or a woman's love."

"I'm not doing anything for a woman's love. My life does not lend itself to relationships. I do what I want to do and what I think is right."

"You sure about that? One woman's name pops up an awful lot in connection to yours."

"You got more business with me or are we through?"

"Business? I already told you, I've repaid my debt and made twenty-five thousand off you. I'm just making conversation."

"Well I don't do conversation, so we're done. I think it's best for you to leave Jersey and I have a man outside to give you an escort."

"Why I'd think you don't trust me Manoso."

"I don't and I can't imagine why you would trust me. Five years ago was an accident. You were in front of my target and I wanted a clean shot. No extra casualties required."

"Why don't you tell me how you really feel?" Jed chuckled. "And as far as me trusting you, I'm too old to care."

Jed took one last gulp of coffee and slapped a twenty down on the table.

"I always have a soft spot for waitresses. I always try to leave a good tip. They work hard for their money."

He slid out of the booth and started walking towards the door, a slight limp from a previous injury making itself known. Ranger followed behind. Outside Jed saw a large man with a tattoo of a flaming skull on his forehead leaning up against a black Explorer.

"One of yours?" he asked Ranger.

"Yes."

"Did you do that to him as a punishment or did he want a flaming skull on his forehead?"

"He came that way."

"His momma must be so proud," Jed replied as he got into his rusty Ford pickup.

"Business must not have been too good," Ranger commented as he slapped the hood of the truck.

"I probably have nearly as much money as you boy. Don't judge a man by his truck."

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><p>The damp foggy air surrounded the cemetery as Jed trudged towards one grave in particular. It had been a couple of years, but he knew exactly where it was. He clutched the flowers in his hand as he saw the small bouquet already lying on the ground.<p>

"I wonder if he brought these for you or if one of the girls did," Jed said as he laid his beside of them. "I hadn't planned on coming, but being this close I wanted to stop by. Thinking of heading to Canada for a while. That's the thing about being retired and alone, I can go wherever I want. And you know what? I hate it." Jed laughed humorlessly. "Betcha never thought you'd hear me say that. Did you Sarah? Never thought I would say it. And if I could go back thirty years, I would have found a decent job and begged you to marry me. You will always be my biggest regret. Not a day goes by that I don't think about you and wish I had done things differently. I talked to a boy I worked with a few years ago. He always sort of reminded me of myself when I was younger. I often thought that if I had a son he would be like him. Well except not Cuban. I'd rather him to have your pretty green eyes and blond hair. My charm would have been good because he doesn't have much of a personality. But there's something there. He's a good boy. Ran me out of town though. Didn't trust me for one thing – I guess that's to be expected. I think maybe it scares him to look at me and see himself thirty years down the road. And he's doing the same thing I did. Pushing away the one for him. I guess he sees it the same way I did, he doesn't think she can handle his world, doesn't think he can be enough for her, doesn't think she can really love him because of the things he's done in the past. Or maybe he's just so arrogant that he thinks he doesn't need nobody. "

A soft wind blew into Jed's face and he could hear the crickets chirping off in the distance.

"This is a peaceful place where you're at Sarah. I'm glad to know that you had a good life, but I think it would have been better if you had been with me. Because I know he could have never have loved you as much as I did. I hope you eventually forgave me for leaving you and I wish I could have some peace from it. The thought that I hurt you kills me inside."

He carefully rubbed his finger over the etching of her name in the cold marble tombstone.

"I love you Sarah. Goodbye."

As Jed walked back to his truck he almost thought he could hear Sarah's soft voice in his head.

_Help them._

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><p>Jed waited ten days before returning to Trenton, this time in a silver Chevy truck that he'd bought for twenty-five thousand dollars. He had followed Stephanie Plum around for two days. He had taken notice that there was always some sort of black vehicle that checked up on her every so often. Jed thought that was a little over the top for a man who wasn't in love.<p>

He had followed behind her as she stopped at the bonds office, to turn in her receipts he imagined. He knew that she would go home next, so now he was standing outside of the apartment building by the dumpster waiting for her. As she stepped out of her car and started towards the door, he got up behind her and placed a rag over her nose and mouth and held on to her tight. Her blue eyes widened as she struggled to get free for a moment before it knocked her out.

"It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered as he carried her over to his truck and placed her inside.

He picked through her pocketbook until he found the tracker. He glanced over at Stephanie's unconscious form.

"He sure does like to keep up with you. Wonder how he'll be when he doesn't know where you are," Jed said as he tossed the tracker into the dumpster before climbing into the truck himself. "We'll give him a few days to think about it. We're going to give him a lot of things to think about."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Same as last time. I don't own Stephanie Plum, Ranger, or any of the characters in the Plum Universe.**

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><p>Stephanie Plum sighed and fluffed the pillow, trying to get more comfortable. What a day. What a few days as a matter of fact. First off she had managed to keep a car for a whole two months and then the head gasket blew and it would actually be more expensive to fix it than what the car was worth. So she was back to using Big Blue. Then her bank decided they were going to start charging a maintenance fee if she let her balance get too low. Her balance was always low. So even after a careful month of managing every cent so her bills would be covered, she was showing a minus twenty-five dollars for the stupid fee! She had probably a hundred calls telling her how sorry they were about her and Joe, and also to warn her that Grandma Bella was putting curses and the eye on her left and right for her trying to kill poor Joseph. Come on he was a homicide detective, for goodness sakes. It's not like he had a stress free job, but he gets a bleeding ulcer and it was all Stephanie's fault. She had thought he was being overly dramatic when she went to visit him at the hospital and he kept watching the blood pressure cuff saying that she was making it go up. She was just standing there and she had brought him some magazines and a get well balloon, but he now considered her a health risk, so instead of telling him what an idiot he was being, even she knew that it would probably look bad if she started hitting him over the head with the magazines, she had told him to take care and he would be fine. Rumor had it that he got his endoscopy and a case of Florence Nightingale syndrome and was now dating a nurse. Stephanie guessed that meant they were officially off again. She wiped the tear that wanted to fall.<p>

She'd think about that another day. Then when she thought things couldn't get any more screwed up in her life, she was kidnapped by Wyatt Earp! And the reason. Because he thinks Ranger needs a wife. She had talked to him till she was blue in the face, but there was no changing his mind. Didn't matter if Ranger wants a wife or not, Jed thinks he needs one so here she was in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere, no idea what state she was even in, waiting for Ranger to call. Jed was a very strange man and a little scary. When she tried to explain things to him, much like the same way she had explained to Grandma Mazur why she shouldn't try to open the closed lid caskets, he had informed her in a very gruff tone that was equally as scary as Ranger's quiet one, that he was in charge and she wasn't going anywhere until he said so. He then reminded her that not only had he done some of the same things she assumed Ranger did when he was in the wind, he had been doing it longer. When he told her that his favorite form of "interrogation" was tying his victim up and cutting an inch or two off of their body for every day they were with him or alive, she shut up. She even kept her mouth shut when he told her that she needed a husband to take care of her. The little feminist Stephanie inside was outraged and wanted her to say something, while the little tiny cave woman Stephanie was nodding her head in agreement. Stephanie had read about that in a magazine she skimmed while at the dentist's office. Most women have a little cave woman inside of them. Somewhere way down deep, they crave protection and having their needs met. Subconsciously they are attracted to big strong men because they see them as good hunters and protectors for them, and their unborn children. Stephanie just always thought it was because sexually the big muscled strong man was more attractive than the skinny little man, but what did she know.

She pounded the pillow again trying to get comfortable, willing her into a deep sleep where her thoughts weren't going a mile a minute. It was too quiet here and without a radio or TV, all she had to entertain herself with was her thoughts and she had avoided thinking too deeply about things for a few years now and it was working out, so she really shouldn't rock the boat. She switched her thoughts back to Jed. He was one bizarre dude. Stephanie knew he could kill her a million different ways, but she didn't think she was in actual physical danger from him. He was maybe what, trying to wrong some rights by doing good deeds, like finding brides for mercenary's in need since he was alone now with only the thoughts of his past haunting his lonely nights so he wants to save the others? Stephanie thought that sounded like a pretty good TV movie or book. And she was one of the stars. _Ranger Takes a Bride_, _Bride For a Mercenary_, _The Taking of Stephanie Plum_. She had an involuntary shiver at that one picturing Ranger in a loin cloth holding a spear. All Jed wants from her is a story. Hers and Ranger's story. Did they even have a story? Sure they had some history, a few years of memories, but it made it sound personal. Like a couple personal and they didn't have that. Did they?

"Please let me go to sleep and wake up in my own bed!"

She was starting to feel panicky. She couldn't stay her in this cabin for a week with Jed talking about things. Personal things. She didn't even like to think about those things. She just got up in the morning, trudged through the day and started over again the next day. It had been working fine up until now. This had the potential for disaster. Ranger might not even call. After all nobody else was looking for her. Jed had hired a girl named "Kelli" to pose as a former college friend who had fallen on a string of bad luck and needed her BFF Stephanie to come help her out for a week. Didn't matter that she had never had a friend named Kelli. Ever. She never would have believed it if she hadn't heard her voice mails herself.

"_Stephanie this is your mother. You really didn't have to have your friend call me to explain why you were leaving town. I wouldn't have been upset. I personally think getting away for a week would be a good thing until things quiet down. Kelli seems like a sweet girl. I forgot about all the trouble you two got into in college. I'm trying to picture what she looks like, but Valerie says that she met her once. Tell Kelli I'll get that recipe for my Pineapple Upside Down Cake to her. And that was sweet of you to tell her that my cakes make everything better for you. Keep in touch. Love you."_

"_Hey girl! Your granny called me and told me about your friend Kelli. Don't worry I'll handle Vinnie. You tell Kelli to hang in there. Things will get better. Take her shopping and get some bright colors to cheer her up. Don't pick stuff you'd get. Think back to some of my things. You'd be surprised how many people have told me that seeing my outfits make their day."_

"_Hey Steph. I heard about your friend Kelli. Who you apparently told everyone, but me, about. Not that I'm mad or upset, but I thought we told each other everything. But tell her that I hope things get better for her. And we really need to have lunch when you get back. I feel like we're drifting apart."_

So apparently as long as her mother's cooking was complemented and recipes were asked for, there were no red flags being waved. And besides Mary-Lou's feelings being hurt because she had cheated on her with another BFF, no one was suspicious. Kelli must be a good actress. Jed had thought of everything. He even left a note on Rex's cage in front of Dillon's door with a fifty dollar bill asking him to hamster sit for her. She'd never given Dillon actual money for anything before, only beer, but she'd guessed the fifty stopped any questions.

As her eyes started to close she began to wonder what Ranger would think of this mess. She wondered if he would still grin and say, _"This is gonna be fun. This here's gonna be like Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle Does Trenton."*_

_'Higgins save_ _me,'_ she thought as she fell asleep.

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><p>Jed held Stephanie's cell phone in his hand. He had watched her check her messages before but now there were three new ones.<p>

"_Babe."_

"_Babe I need you to check in with me."_

"_Babe, call me."_

Jed knew that Ranger had heard the rumors about Stephanie's unexpected trip. He waited to hear Stephanie confirm it herself and when she didn't check in with him, he no doubt started doing some checking and found out that Kelli did not exist. Jed thought he had waited long enough and scrolled through Stephanie's contact list. He wondered if Stephanie knew the significance of Ranger being number 1 on her speed dial. He hit send and it only rang once.

"Babe?"

"Well hello sweetheart, how are you doing?"

There was a beat of silence and then, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I was just returning some messages for Stephanie. What are you doing?"

"Don't play with me Kelly, I told you there was nothing there. She's a business associate. All you're doing is making yourself look like a fool old man."

Jed blew out a breath, "Well now I do feel foolish. Well I'll tell you what I'll do. We'll keep this between us, professional courtesy. Don't want people to know I slipped up and made a mistake in my old age. I'll get rid of the girl and we'll forget this ever happened."

Then just for spite he ended the call. Two seconds hadn't even passed before it rang again.

"I'm sorry were we not finished?" Jed asked.

Jed grinned as he heard the colorful vocabulary spewing from Ranger's mouth. It wasn't often he lost his temper, but Ranger Manoso was on the edge.

"I'll call you right back," Jed walked over to a desk and pulled out another cell phone. He knew Manoso was trying to trace it and he wasn't ready for him to know where they were at yet. Ranger answered on the first ring.

"What do you want me to do? How much do you want? But I'm telling you now old man, I want her back and she better not be harmed."

"I want you to tell me a story. You know how we old people love to hear stories about what's going on in the lives of other people. I'm curious, because Stephanie's name pops up a lot in connection with yours, but no one seems to know much about you two. This tells me that you don't talk about her with anyone. Well you're going to talk about her with me; you're going to share with me something you've never shared with anyone. You can't buy your way out; you can't do a favor to get out of it. You have to talk to me and answer any question I have for you. When I'm satisfied with the story, I'll let you know where you can find her. My first question is this: What number is Stephanie on your speed dial?"

Ranger didn't answer.

"This isn't a game Manoso, I'm in charge here. You know what I'm capable of doing. For all you know I could be having episodes where I'm confused and having flashbacks. I might think she's someone dangerous that I have to get vital information from. I told her earlier my favorite technique. I don't think she liked it very much."

Ranger swore again and said, "One."

"And why is she one?"

"I don't know."

"I'm going to let you get by with that tonight, because I don't know if you really do know the answer to that one right now, but we'll come back to that question again later on. Look at your watch, because I'm going to call you again each night at this time, so you can expect my call. You might prefer to talk with me in private. Now I'm a fair man so I'll give you a heads up, tomorrow night we start at the beginning, the very first time you ever saw Stephanie Plum. You do what I ask and I give you my word she'll be returned to you as good as new."

"I want to talk to her."

"No, you don't get to talk to her. For one week you aren't going to know where she is, if she's sick or hurt, scared or sad. You're going to have to trust that another man is taking care of her. We'll see how that makes you feel at the end of the week. Don't waste your time looking for us. I trained the ones that trained you. You won't find me till I want to be found. We'll talk again tomorrow."

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><p>* <strong>- This quote is from One For The Money.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Plum and all of the other characters from the books belong to Janet Evanovich, not me.**

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><p>Ranger threw the dart hitting the board right in the center. He found himself glancing back to the clock on his desk every five throws. He'd spent most of the day trying to get a lead on Jedidiah, but everything turned up empty. Ranger already knew this would be the case, but he had to try to do something. Jedidiah Kelly was a legend. He had led two tours in Nam, and then was used to train special op units. Jed descended from a line of Texas Rangers and was famous for using Comanche tactics in battle. Some people joked that the man was a ghost and could disappear into thin air. If Jed didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. Ranger was finding this out first hand. His request for a visit had shaken him. Very few meetings with past acquaintances had ever turned out well, and this was looking to be the worst. The score had been even, and now Jed had tipped things back to his favor by taking Stephanie. Ranger couldn't begin to imagine what the old man had to gain in this. What did he think gaining information about him and Stephanie would accomplish? What was in it for him? Ranger thought maybe the old man had gone senile and his remarks about having flashbacks and not remembering where he was had scared him. He was dangerous enough on a good day. The thoughts of Stephanie alone with him weren't sitting well, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. Ranger had thought about what he would tell him. He could lie, but if he truly thought Stephanie wasn't important to him, then he might just kill her. If he told him the truth, then he would know his weakness. Ranger wondered how he even knew about Stephanie. It wasn't like he told anyone she was his woman. No one outside of his company knew the things he did for her, and his men knew information pertaining to Steph was classified. He had hoped her relationship with Joe Morelli would keep the rumors at bay. He had been with other women over the years, each one a brief encounter and with Stephanie's on again off again relationship with Joe, Ranger thought it provided a good cover. It had allowed him as close of a relationship as he could have with her. This made the third time though and when he got Stephanie back things would have to change. Before he could bring himself to admit how he would have to step out of her life, his phone rang. New number, just like he knew it would be. Disposable phones were virtually untraceable. He crossed the room in two strides and picked up his phone.<p>

"Yo."

"Ranger."

Brief silence followed before Jed said, "Go ahead, you can start. These minutes aren't free."

"I don't know what you want to know," Ranger ran his hand over his face and sighed. "Stephanie had just started bounty hunting and she needed some help. The office manager where we both worked asked me to help her. I gave her some advice and lent an occasional hand. We've worked together over the years. That's it."

Jed chuckled, "Not much of a storyteller are you. I'll help you out since you don't know what it is you're supposed to do. The point of telling a story is to provide entertainment and knowledge for your audience, which is me. A good story has details, and emotions. You just summed up a five year relationship with this woman in five sentences. Now try it again, once upon a time in the fair land of Trenton, New Jersey…"

Ranger closed his eyes and rocked back in his chair, "Connie the office manager for the bail bonds office that I worked for called and asked if I would help out a new bounty hunter, give her some tips. I didn't really want to bother with it, but I agreed. I said I would meet her at a café downtown in an hour, I figured I could talk to her for thirty minutes tops and head on to some other business. I got their a little early and found a booth at the back and sat down and waited. I had a view of the door so I could spot her when she came in. I was picturing what she would probably look like, a biker chic or something when this woman walked in. I looked at her, figuring she was there on her lunch break from the office," Ranger smiled. "She looked back at me and started walking towards me. I thought no way was this lady in a business suit and heels the new bounty hunter. I thought maybe she was going to proposition me to kill her husband or maybe score some drugs, when she stuck out her hand and said, 'Ricardo Manoso? I'm Stephanie Plum; I appreciate you meeting with me.' "

"Has that happened to you before, a nice looking woman coming up and asking you for drugs or to put a hit on someone?"

"Yeah, it has. Most nice girls see me as a street thug. Most nice girls go out of their way to avoid me."

"But not Stephanie?"

"No, not Stephanie. I don't know what she thought when she first saw me, but she didn't seem afraid. Determined, but not afraid."

"So what made a girl like her want to get involved in the bounty hunting business?"

"She told me she needed the money, pointed out this piece of shit car she was driving, and said she had personal reasons. I told her she needed to be sure it was worth it, because this was dangerous business. She then told me who Vinnie gave her to apprehend and I laughed. There was no way she could bring in a cop. He was a smart cop at that."

"Did you change her mind?"

Ranger smiled, "No, she actually gave me attitude and asked me if I was going to help her or not. She was leaning towards me her top buttons undone on her shirt and I caught a quick look then looked up into her big blue eyes that were narrowed at me and told her that this was going to be fun, this was going to be like Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle does Trenton, then I proceeded to give her some advice. Told her to buy a gun, helped her pick some hardware out and gave her my number. I didn't figure I'd hear from her again, and I didn't think she would follow through with going after Morelli."

"But, she did?"

"Yeah, she called me to help her break into Morelli's place. She pulled up in her car which was bad to start with, but someone had painted pussy in pink and green over both sides. I couldn't believe she was still driving it, I don't know any other woman that would. I asked if she'd been on Stark Street and she said they stole her radio, but they wouldn't steal the car. She said it like it was no big deal. Steph is like that; she gets knocked down she just gets back up and keeps going. I looked in Morelli's place with her, we didn't find anything and I made the mistake of telling her we had the law and could do anything. This seemed to encourage her and after I left she stole the cop's SUV. "

Jed full out laughed at this point in the conversation, "So what happened next?"

"I had been on a take down and I had just got to sleep when my phone rang. I figured we had some more paper work that had to be signed that had gotten left out, but it was Stephanie. She told me she was handcuffed to her shower rod and needed someone to open the cuffs. So I hung up on her. "

"Why did you do that?"

"I was tired and I had just gotten to sleep, it had been a bad night and I wasn't in the mood to be played. I figured we were at the point where the good girl wants to take a walk on the wild side with the bad boy, and this was an invitation to her bed."

"And you weren't interested?"

"Not at two thirty in the morning on this particular night, but Steph called back and told me what happened. Imagine my surprise when I got there and she was telling the truth," Ranger chuckled softly. "I'll never forget the image of her standing in that bathtub with her arm hanging up over her head and her hair sticking out everywhere." _Wild, beautiful._ "She looked so thrilled to see me. I couldn't believe she wasn't scared out of her mind. I mean she knew nothing really about me and yet her she was in a situation she couldn't possibly be any more vulnerable and she trusted me to save her. I realized then how seriously she took me to be her Henry Higgins. I figured for sure that this incident would cause her to give up, but then she surprised me again and told me how she needed to get an alarm put in the cop's car so he couldn't steal it back from her. I gave her the address for a garage I used and made a deal for him to give her a good price."

"What did you think when you saw her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, you see this woman who I assume you found attractive standing naked in front of you for the first time, what was going through your mind?"

Ranger closed his eyes again. The image played in his mind just as clearly as it had every night since it happened. He wanted her and he knew he shouldn't have her, but that was the night he started dreaming about Stephanie Plum. "Nothing really, she was obviously embarrassed and uncomfortable so I handed her a towel. I was her mentor. Nothing like that was going to happen between us, so I didn't really even think about it."

"Liar. But you did eventually cross that line didn't you?"

"The next time I heard from her, she needed help with an FTA. She'd gone to pick him up and he somehow ended up with her pocketbook and gun. I went in after him and he shot me in the leg. Stephanie sat with me on the curb in the pouring rain. I remember she was shaking from the cold, soaking wet and I was pretty sure she was ready to cry, but she didn't. When they loaded me into the ambulance I thought that this was definitely the last I'd hear from her or see her. She only kept fifty bucks of the recovery fee and had Connie write the rest to me."

"Did that surprise you?"

"Sure, I mean she'd seen my car, she knew I was good at my job and she obviously needed the money, but she gave it to me because she felt it was the right thing to do. I cashed the check because I didn't want Vinnie to have it, and I kept the money because Steph had her pride and integrity and I respected that."

"What'd you do with the money?"

Ranger reached for his wallet and pulled out some bills folded over a picture, "I kept it, I still have it."

"Why?"

"To remind me that money isn't everything and integrity matters."

"Does it work?"

"Saved my life a few times," Ranger said as he looked down at the picture of Stephanie. "I want to talk to Stephanie. I've given you what you wanted; I want to know that she's okay."

"I already told you no, you'll talk to her in a week, _if _you hold up your end of the bargain. She's fine though. I heard her singing "Someday My Prince Will Come" a little while ago. I plan to take her riding tomorrow. After a day of solitude I think the fresh air will do her some good. "

"What are you hoping to get out of this Jed?"

"I get my curiosity filled. I just finished my big word search book so I needed something for entertainment."

"You could have tried taking a vacation," Ranger muttered.

"I've taken plenty of vacations, and I told you I'm heading up to Canada for a while. Something to remember though, traveling around the world alone ain't as much fun as you'd think it would be."

"Is that what this is about, you're tired of being alone so you're going around terrorizing people now?"

"I don't believe I'm terrorizing anyone. I'm entertaining at one of my many properties that I've acquired over the years and never had the chance to use before and listening to an old comrade reminiscing over his relationship with a lady friend. I did invite you to meet for coffee and catch up. You're the one who got riled up and tried to run me out of town, which by the way has gotten more than one man killed in the past. If you don't like my tactics for accomplishing my goal you should have talked to me then."

"What can you possibly accomplish from this?"

"You learn a lot about people listening to their stories. You've kept that money all this time as a reminder. When she left you the recovery fee she stirred up some feelings in you, you didn't know you even had anymore. How did it feel to know you weren't completely dead inside and you still had a soul? That girl makes you think and feel things you never cared about before and you don't know what to do with that."

Ranger didn't answer him.

"The truth shall set you free." Jed said as he ended the call.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who's reading this story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stephanie Plum or any of the other characters in the books.**

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><p>"Time for breakfast," Jed's gruff voice and the sound of the door being kicked with his boot woke Stephanie up.<p>

The aroma of bacon and eggs drifted into the room and her stomach growled. Out of all of her kidnappings, this had been the best so far. She realized how sad that was to have had enough to compare to. She had a semi-comfortable bed to sleep in, the mattress was a little firmer than she liked, but still it was a bed. He fed her and she was allowed to use the bathroom and shower –Jed had found it funny telling her that they only had an outhouse. She must have had a look of horror on her face when he chuckled and pointed to the small bathroom inside of the cabin. Stephanie threw on some clean clothes and ran a brush through her hair before pulling it back in a ponytail. She usually didn't care how she looked first thing in the morning, but Jed had "rules" about being dressed and semi-human looking when eating at the table. He was a very odd man.

Stephanie sat down at the table and looked at him thoughtfully.

"What?"

"I've changed my mind. I want to marry Ranger. I want to have his babies and take care of him and make a house for our family. I even want to learn to cook for him."

Jed looked at her for a long moment, "Do you really mean it?"

"Absolutely."

"What changed your mind? You were dead set against it before."

Stephanie sighed, "It came to me in a dream last night. This is what I need to do; it's the right thing to do."

"Your destiny."

"Sure."

"Well, I have to say I'm a little surprised, but you seem so sincere. Let's go, I'm taking you back to Trenton."

Stephanie smiled and grabbed a piece of bacon as she walked to the door. Jed opened it behind her, but before she could step through, he slammed it back in her face.

"Nice try, but do you seriously think that I'm that stupid. Sit down and eat your breakfast."

Stephanie groaned and turned back to the table. "What gave me away?"

"The serene look on your face when you said you wanted to have his babies and cook; besides, it's Ranger who we're trying to get to marry you."

Stephanie shot him a glare, "_We're _trying? What do you mean _we're_ trying? Did my mother hire you? She knew it was over with Joe because of the bleeding ulcers, so she hired you to kidnap me to try to force Ranger to marry me? "

Jed passed her the plate of scrambled eggs, "Calm down, I work alone and I doubt your mother could afford me anyways. I meant _we're_ as in me and you."

"I already told you that I don't want to get married! I told you Ranger doesn't want to get married. This is all you buddy! If you think marriage is so great, where's Mrs. Jed at?"

Jed reached for the plate of bacon, "I missed my chance; I'm trying to keep Ranger from missing his."

"Why?"

"It's the right thing to do; it's what Sarah would want me to do."

"Just because it was right for you, doesn't mean it's right for Ranger."

"We'll see, now eat your breakfast before it gets cold," Jed said with a hint of finality in his tone.

Stephanie started eating her eggs. She could taste the butter that had soaked up in them from the pan; Jed was obviously not a health nut like Ranger. Ranger would never cook his food in a pan full of melted butter. She sprinkled some salt on her eggs and decided she'd have to try to reason with him later.

"It's a nice day; I thought I'd take you riding. You ever rode a horse?"

"It's been years," she said, taking a drink of her coffee. "I used to ride every week when my mom had to do her shopping." Stephanie grinned and closed her eyes. "I don't think I've ever felt as free as when I was riding _Black Beauty. _But then she'd stop on me and I couldn't get her to go anymore, and mom would claim she didn't have any more quarters," Stephanie shrugged.

"Smartass."

"So I've been told."

"I think I'll start calling you Sassy."

"I already have too many nicknames. The papers call me the Bombshell Bounty Hunter, Joe called me Cupcake, and Ranger calls me Babe."

"Past tense for cupcake?"

Stephanie gave a sad smile, "I don't think he'll want to call me Cupcake anymore."

Jed looked at her closely for a minute, "Which are you, a Babe or a Cupcake?"

Stephanie shrugged her shoulders, "I guess a little of both."

"Which would hurt more, not being Cupcake or not being Babe?"

And it was questions like these that Stephanie did not want to think about.

"So where are we going riding?"

"Over the river and through the woods, do you always change the subject when you don't like the question?"

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Maybe, but you are going to have to answer that one for me. I'll give you some time to think it over."

* * *

><p>"Whoa, <em>Black Beauty<em> is a lot bigger then I remember," Stephanie grunted as she slung her leg over the horses back. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally got up on the saddle. "And she's brown."

"And she's a boy," Jed said as he got up on his horse.

"Don't worry; it's all coming back to me now. Where do I put the quarter?"

"Take the reins, and nudge her sides, she'll follow me so you just have to stay sitting up there. You can do that right?"

"Probably," Stephanie said._ Hopefully_

"We won't go too far since you haven't ridden before, plus we'll have to get back so I can make lunch."

Stephanie grinned. Jed was as bad as her and Lula about missing meals, "I offered to fix a picnic lunch. It's not my fault you didn't have any peanut butter or olives."

"I can't believe you eat that."

"Hey, I told you I can't cook. I can survive for weeks on a big jar of peanut butter, a king size loaf of bread and a jar of olives."

"Maybe you should learn to cook. Most women do you know. Watch that limb," Jed said as he pushed it back with his hand.

Stephanie leaned to the side until she had passed it. _Huh, I didn't even fall off_.

"You'd be surprised how many of us are out there. Women who can't cook. If you look in the super markets you can usually spot us. I'm poor so that's why I only have the three items in my cart. Some have a whole weeks' worth of Lean Cuisines. They have money, so they can afford variety. When I was working as a lingerie buyer, I too had a cart full of Lean Cuisines."

"You must really like bounty hunting, to deprive yourself like that."

"I hate bounty hunting, I can't seem to find a normal job that I like better, so until I do, it's peanut butter and olives for me."

"Do you look for other jobs?"

"I skim the papers from time to time. There's nothing out there. I quit Vinnie's for a while and the three jobs I had, ended up being more disastrous then bounty hunting. Besides I have Lula and Connie. I'd miss them."

"And Ranger."

"Yeah, and Ranger. Ranger helps me out when I need it."

"Have you ever considered working for Ranger full time? I bet the pays good and you'd have benefits."

"I've worked for Ranger a few times and you're right the pay is good."

"Why didn't you stay?"

Stephanie thought about it for a minute._ Because I was trying to stay faithful to my boyfriend._ "Two places that probably wouldn't be good for my health if I worked there too long: The Tasty Cake factory and Rangeman."

"I have a feeling that's supposed to mean something."

Stephanie laughed, "Hey I answered your question."

* * *

><p>"Okay. I've answered some of your questions, now you answer mine," Stephanie said. They'd been riding for a while and Jed had surprised her with all of the information he had on her. She thought maybe she should start a Wikipedia page, so everyone else in the world could know all of the humiliating events of her life. Maybe people would lose interest then.<p>

"You have nothing to negotiate with."

"Yeah, well you should never ask someone to do what you aren't willing to do yourself. You have heard that before right."

"What do you want to know?"

"You've mentioned Sarah a couple of times. Tell me your story. What happened?"

"I'll tell you my story if you answer one more question for me."

Stephanie waved her hand for him to continue.

"You married a man who was a lawyer and wanted a political future. I would imagine that would involve entertaining and throwing dinner parties. Yet you claim you don't cook or do anything domestic."

Oh Stephanie did not want to go there, "Never mind, we should probably start back. Either I heard your stomach growl or there's a bear close by. Plus it's getting really hot." She wiped the sweat beading on her forehead and glanced down at her arms. She was starting to turn red.

"Just answer the question."

"No! This is stupid. I know what you're trying to do. You've been dissecting every bit of information you have on me trying to figure me out. I can already tell you that it's hopeless. My marriage sucked, my career is a joke, and I have or had an unhealthy relationship with two men. I don't need to dwell on it and drudge up all my little hurts and disappointments."

The past few days were starting to take their toll, and add to the fact that she was hot and sweaty and her back was starting to hurt, somehow the dam just burst. The words started pouring from her mouth before she could stop them.

"I had picked out a gorgeous dining room set. I spent hours looking for it. I looked through magazines and got ideas how I would decorate the dining room, because we were going to entertain the partners in the firm. Dickie was going places and I had my role to fill, as was pointed out to me by my mother and mother-in-law. I had a career too mind you, but that wasn't important. My dinner parties could make or break if Dickie made partner, so I had to step up my game. I decided to start taking the role of housewife seriously. I went to work early every day that week so I could leave early Friday and surprise Dickie with a candle lit dinner. I was going to show him how I could do it. I read cookbooks, I planned the whole meal. I stopped at the store and got my ingredients, I bought a nice bottle of wine and fresh flowers. I was going to have everything ready and the table beautifully set, and I was going to be waiting for him in my new dress and shoes. I wanted the jerk to be proud of me. I open the door and hear these noises coming from the dining room. I remember thinking to myself let him be watching porn, let him be watching porn. But no, he was screwing Joyce Barnhardt, who by the way he knew I loathed, on my new dining room table. The table I spent hours picking out so I could prepare meals for my husband who was now screwing my arch nemesis. And shame on me, but for a long while I secretly thought if only I had done a better job at being the perfect wife sooner it would never have happened. But my sister who is practically Martha Stewart and fixes a perfect pot roast had the same thing happen to her, so I don't think it matters how good you are in the kitchen. Men cheat and very few marriages make it and I realized that I really don't want to go through life wondering if my meatloaf sucks, or the house isn't spotless then he's going to go looking somewhere else."

"You think Ranger won't love you if you're not perfect?"

"Ranger knows I'm so far from perfect it's not even funny. He's seen me vomit, he's seen me with Ronald McDonald hair, and every other screw up you can possibly imagine."

"But you don't trust him?"

Stephanie laughed, "Do you realize that I couldn't even fill one page with information that I know about Ranger. For all I know he could have a Honey in Boston, or a Sweetheart in Miami. Ranger has said no relationship. His life style doesn't lend itself to one. He likes to flirt, he'd like to have sex, but that's it. He doesn't want to marry me. He loves me, but it's in his own way. His exact words."

"Well of course he loves you in his own way! How else is he supposed to love you? In your cheating ex-husband's way, or the cop who blamed you for everything's way. Everybody loves someone in their own way. No one loves the same. And for your information there is no Honey or Sweetheart. There is only Babe. You are the only woman that Ranger has spent any amount of time with. It's a miracle in itself that he can even feel love for you. People like us usually don't, because we've had to close off all of our emotions inside. You can't feel and do what we have to do, but somehow you snuck in on him and he doesn't know what to do with you. He's too scared to try because he doesn't know how, and you're too scared because you're afraid things won't work out this time either. You're at the crossroads Sassy. You need to decide which way to go because even though you want to, you can't stay on the same road forever."

"Ranger isn't scared of anything."

Jed chuckled, "Only you. You know what you need to do don't you?"

"What?"

"First off, you need to decide if Ranger loving you in his own way is enough, then you've got to fix that dinner. It'd be healing and you need that, because I got to say, never wanting to cook for a man again, because your first husband was a dick, is a little harsh."

* * *

><p>They started back for the cabin, both in their own thoughts when Jed started talking.<p>

"You sort of remind me of my Sarah. That fire in your eyes when you get mad. The twinkle when you laugh. Sarah had amazing eyes. She was a waitress in a little town I stopped at while I was passing through between jobs. You might find this hard to believe, but I wasn't quite this charming back then. I'd seen a lot and done a lot and well there wasn't anything good in my life and I wasn't a happy guy. I went into this little diner, and Sarah was my waitress. I looked up into her big green eyes and she smiled at me and I swear my heart jump started. Now I'd had my share of women, but this one was special. I'd heard of love at first sight and thought it was a load of horse shit, but no other woman had affected me like that. I'd seen a woman and got turned on instantly, but never had my heart jumpstart. I ate my food slowly, ordered dessert, then coffee, trying to stall leaving that diner. I watched her move about and I knew I was looking at an angel. She was pure goodness. I was the last one left, and she locked the door and started cleaning up, like I wasn't even there. When she got to my table she sat down and started talking to me. People didn't just approach me like that. I was a scary guy."

"You still are."

"Good to know, being scary has kept me alive all these years. Sarah saw past it though. She brought me out and talked to me like I was an actual human being. She made me feel like I was a good man and when I was with her I was happy. I asked her out on a date, we went out the next night and every night I could manage to get back to that little town. I loved her and I don't know why, but she loved me. I was offered a job down in Mexico, worth a lot of money. I was going to be a very rich man if I didn't get killed so I took it. I worked on my own and I could have turned it down, but this was who I was and what I did so I agreed to do it. I had to leave in three days, so I went back to tell Sarah goodbye. She obviously couldn't go with me, and she asked what she was supposed to do while I was gone. I told her this was how it had to be and she knew what I did and she'd just have to accept it. I guess my lifestyle didn't lend itself to relationships back then either. She asked if I was ever going to offer her more, and I told her I gave her all I could, if it wasn't enough find someone else. Long story short, I went to Mexico, it was a big mistake. I regretted my words to Sarah as soon as I left, but I couldn't tell her. I did almost die and two days after I left Sarah, my heart was dead again. I didn't realize how big a part of me she had become. I didn't realize how much I needed her to survive. When I got back, I went back to get her. I was going to beg her to forgive me, ask her to marry me and take her out of that little town and show her the world. Treat her like the princess she was. She listened to my advice and had gotten married and was pregnant with her first child when I got there. She settled, because she didn't love him like she loved me, but she gave up on me. I lost the best thing to ever happen to me. I felt like I had died when I realized I actually lost her, and that spark faded from her eyes over the years. She went through the motions and I think she was happy part of the time. I know she loved her girls, but you get one shot at true love and we lost ours. It was my fault, and I've spent every day since regretting it. He never loved her like I did. He didn't make her happy like I could have. Sometimes I still hear her voice in my head. It gives me some peace to know she's with me."

"And you think she sent you to help me and Ranger."

"Sarah always was a romantic; maybe she doesn't want you to waste your life being alone because you're too scared to try again. Maybe she knows Ranger is stubborn like I was back then and doesn't want him to lose his light and heart."

"You can't make people fall in love Jed, it's either there or it's not."

"Do you love Ranger?"

Stephanie had never told Ranger the words, but she'd known since Scrog shot him, "Yeah, I do."

"Then I'm not making you do anything. You love him, he loves you, and it'll work out."

"Ranger was pretty clear on his ideas of marriage and kids Jed. Maybe Ranger and I are only meant to be good friends."

"You leave Ranger to me; he'll realize what's most important to him."

And to help matters along, Jed didn't call him that night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Stephanie Plum. **

**A/N: Thanks for all the encouragement and interest in this story! One more chapter to go!**

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><p>Ranger sat in Stephanie's parking lot staring up at her fire escape. He wondered if she would be surprised knowing how much comfort her dumpy little apartment had brought him over the years. She loved his spacious apartment, but the only time he had ever truly enjoyed and felt at home was when Stephanie stayed there. He knew she wasn't here, yet it seemed like her place was calling to him. He thought back to the time when she had called him to help her get rid of Joyce Barnhardt. He had pulled in the parking lot and looked up at her on the fire escape, and that's when it hit him. He was falling in love with her. He had looked at her for a long moment, actually entranced staring at her, wondering how it had happened until she gave him a thumbs up. He had grinned up at her and went to talk to Joyce. That was when he knew he was going to cross the line with Stephanie. He told Joyce to go home, that he was going to be spending the next twelve hours with Stephanie, and they wouldn't be leaving her apartment. Joyce had tried to convince him that she could entertain him better, and they could help each other out with bounty hunting and other things. Ranger had thought what an idiot Dickie Orr, was for screwing up his marriage with Stephanie for a cheap whore like Joyce. Jed would have said Joyce had been rode hard and put up wet.<p>

Ranger tightened his grip on the steering wheel thinking about Jed. He didn't call. Ranger had waited all day in anticipation of that phone call, and it never came. He thought that he handled stressful situations well in the past, but as the years went by with Stephanie that was changing. Each disappearance became more difficult for him, and now he knew it was because she was more important to him. She had become the most important person to him, and he had no idea where she was or if she was okay and it was driving him crazy. He got out of his car and started across the parking lot. Fifteen minutes and Jed should call. If he didn't call tonight, Ranger had no doubt he would go insane. He thought briefly about calling Joe Morelli and asking him how it felt when you had an ulcer, because his stomach had been giving him fits all day. He imagined the eye roll Stephanie would give him for that one. The thoughts running through his mind had tormented him , maybe she had gotten thrown from the horse and broke her neck, or maybe she had given Jed too much attitude and he had broken her neck and left the country, with no way for Ranger to ever find out what happened to her. Jed's statement of "You're going to have to trust that another man is taking care of her. We'll see how that makes you feel", had also run through Ranger's mind. Well now he knew, it made him crazy. There had been times over the years that he expected Stephanie and Morelli to get married. He had almost wished they would, so he could finally move on and go back to the way his life had been before Stephanie walked into it, and at the same time he had been terrified that they would. Stephanie confused him, and then he would confuse her. When he was with her, he could see him wanting things he never thought he would, and when they were apart, he would remember why it would be a bad idea to have those things. Now he had to wonder, could he handle it if she married someone else? The time of their deal, he had thought Steph and Morelli could make a go of it. The past year though, he would have bet if they married it wouldn't last a year. Ranger wondered how long their marriage would last. He had told her before that he wouldn't do anything stupid like marriage or kids. Why now did he sometimes entertain the thought of doing something stupid like that with her? _Because he loved her._

Ranger had been intrigued with her in the beginning. She was attractive, pretty in a girl next door kind of way, but her actions and thought process was what truly had his interest. He should have avoided her like the plague. She had gotten him shot; she had tripped him while jogging and caused him to pull a groin muscle, not to mention the time and expense he spent helping her out, but to tell just how messed up he was, he lived for those phone calls. Stephanie brought happiness and peace to him. He could spend the day wading in the sewers of the city with the worst scum you could imagine, and he could spend five minutes with Steph and the troubles of the day faded away. Things were never easy with her, but time spent with her was good.

As he opened up her door, he immediately missed the squeak of Rex's wheel. He had always wondered why she chose a hamster for a pet, but he never asked her about it. Now he really wanted to know. He flopped down on her old, lumpy couch and clutched his cell phone in his hands.

Why did he let himself get emotionally attached to her? He had rules he always followed, no emotional attachment, and he had broken it for her. Maybe he never stood a chance. The blue eyed, curly haired burg girl was going to worm her way into his heart no matter what he did. She made him think, she made him want to be a better person, and she made him a lovesick fool. He closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against her couch. His first clue back then that he was falling for her, should have been how he got excited when she was at the bonds office when he showed up, no one would ever know it, but his heart was beating just a little bit faster. And there was always the disappointment when he had just missed her. It all sounded very high school, and Ranger couldn't remember if he ever felt like that about someone in high school or college. He would assume probably not, because he only had sexual encounters and there wasn't any attachment there. He remembered feeling jealousy for the first time in years the day he found out she had slept with Morelli. He had grinned at her and played it off, but he hadn't liked it. Things just sort of took off for Stephanie and Joe after that. They were together, then they weren't, then they were back together again. Ranger had come to the conclusion that in her heart, she would always be Morelli's, because you don't keep going back if there's not something there. But he was an opportunist and he wanted her. He wanted her to be his for just one night, which led him to proposing the deal.

In his head it was the answer to all of the problems, he got to live out his fantasy's that he had been having of her, and he would be able to get her out of his system and things would go back to normal. He knew Stephanie was attracted to him also, so maybe her relationship with Morelli would improve after she worked Ranger out of her system. He kept waiting for the right opportunity for their night though, until it was taken out of his hands. Stephanie was helping out her parent's neighbor by looking for the woman's daughter and granddaughter. He knew there were some dangerous factors in the case, so he had asked Jeanne Ellen Burrows who was working the other end, to keep him updated on things. Abruzzi took an interest in Stephanie, and a marker had been called in and it looked like Ranger was going to have to leave the country for a while. He remembered being angry. His time with her was almost up and she had gotten herself in another mess and he wouldn't be her to help her out and if it all worked out for her, he'd probably come home in a few months to find her married to the cop. He had been determined that night when he went to see her. Her death cootie couch in the hallway, her cookies on a plate on the floor with Ghostbusters playing in the background, she had needed him too. They ended up taking comfort and filling each other's needs together that night. The night that was supposed to be enough for him to get her out of his system had ended up being the night that engrained her in him more. He told her how it would have to be for them the next morning. He hadn't really expected her to agree to a casual fling between them when it was convenient. He was torn with being disappointed that she wouldn't, and proud that she wouldn't. She deserved it all and she shouldn't have to settle for less. He knew she would want to reconcile with the cop, and when he said she needed to work things out with him, she had confirmed that by saying they needed a break. He left, after installing a security system in her apartment, the only way he could keep her safe in his absence. Then it turned out the marker was canceled and he didn't have to leave. The night he encouraged Abruzzi to commit suicide, was the night he knew deep in his heart Stephanie was his. What he did that night would have cost others at least half a million dollars, but he did it for free, for her, because to him she was priceless.

His phone ringing jerked him from his thoughts, and caused him to jump from the sudden sound in the quiet apartment. He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat and willed his heart to stop pounding, "Yo."

"Sleep well last night?

"What do you think?"

"I have no idea, maybe you didn't even remember I was calling, or maybe you spent the night and today wanting to vomit because you were so torn up you didn't know what to do."

"How's Stephanie?"

"Sassy is fine, but you didn't answer my question, which was it?"

Ranger breathed a quiet sigh of relief and realized Jed now had a nickname for her too, "The vomiting part."

Jed chuckled, "Thought so. See you need to realize how it feels when it's finally over and she moves on. You have no say on anything. You never know anything. The best you get is second hand information and if you're truly lucky the occasional glance when she goes out somewhere. That can be good and torturous at the same time. You see what you want and can't have. It's extremely torturous when he's with her and you have to watch. Did you ever think about any of that?"

In truth Ranger had. He had told Stephanie once he was sick emotionally and sexually. He knew he was sick emotionally when he had planned on keeping tabs on Stephanie for the rest of her life, lurking in the shadows, making sure she was at least safe. He knew he was sick sexually, when the only way he could get off now with another woman was to close his eyes and pretend she was Stephanie. He had even shouted Stephanie's name more than once and whispered things in the fake Stephanie's ear that he could never say to the real Stephanie. The fake Stephanie's never minded though. They were just in it for the sex, and they would pretend to be anyone he wanted, "Yes, I've thought about it."

"It's different when you live it though, isn't it?"

"I've had to watch her with the cop for years, I have lived it."

"Huh, you're stupider then I first thought."

Ranger ignored the insult. It wasn't anything he hadn't thought himself at least once. He had thrown out some hints to Stephanie to test the waters. He had told her that he wouldn't understand if she came home to him without her underwear if they were living together, he'd mentioned someday a few times, but she never pursued it with him, and he never pushed it on her. Stephanie had never once told him that she loved him. He never put a stop to Morelli, because maybe he was what Steph really wanted. It didn't stop him from playing _One Hundred Ways to Get Rid of Joe_, in his head though.

"Do you trust Stephanie? Really trust her."

"Yes. I trust her more than anyone." And that was completely the truth. The time that he was FTA, he had no doubt of Steph's sincerity of her concern for him and he knew she would do anything in her power to help him. The same had been true when Scrog had Julie, and when he was in jeopardy of losing his company, Stephanie was the only one he trusted to help him, and she had not only kept him going when he thought he was going to lose it all, she had figured it out and saved his company.

"But not with your heart?"

"I don't know what Stephanie even wants. I don't think she even knows what she wants."

"So ask her. Figure it out together. Your reasons from before don't apply now. Your black op days ended when your face was on every newspaper and television station when your daughter was missing. You're more of a business man then anything."

"There are still assholes from my past who could try to come after her."

"Well, it seems to me if they really want to get her, it's not going to matter if you're openly with her or not. It hasn't in the past and we both know that if she was with you, it wouldn't have been as easy for me to get to her. Something to think about."

"I hear things out of Brazil. I'm not in the all clear."

"That may be true, but I imagine the ones in Brazil already know about her. Do you honestly think you can isolate yourself from everyone?"

"I can everyone that matters, if it will keep them safe."

"You hardly see your family, your daughter calls another man daddy, and one of these days you're going to wake up old and alone and you're going to want a do over, but it'll be too late. I'm giving you another chance here. Figure out a way to make it work. You don't have to be miserable Ranger; you're entitled to a good life just like everyone else. Think about it. Stephanie's told me some stuff that I'm curious about."

"Well of course, go ahead and ask, after all this is about filling your curiosity."

Jed ignored Ranger's sarcasm, "Sassy mentioned a Jeanne Ellen. She says she's Catwoman to your Batman. Sassy thinks you trained her. I was wondering why you haven't trained Sassy in the same way?"

Ranger finally cracked a smile. Stephanie was still jealous, and she was probably fishing for information about his relationship with her from Jed. Jed of course wouldn't know anything, because Jeanne was nothing to Ranger. He had heard the rumors, but they were just that, rumors. He didn't clarify that with Stephanie before when she asked, because if Ranger had to be jealous of the cop, he kind of liked that she was jealous of Jeanne Ellen.

"I never trained Jeanne. But to answer your question why I didn't train her to be like Jeanne, I didn't want her to turn cold and hard. She doesn't have it in her to be cruel."

"So you never wanted someone like Catwoman?"

Ranger knew Jed was asking for Stephanie. Stephanie needed a clear cut answer to the question. "Tell Stephanie that Batman and Catwoman ended up together a lot of the time in the comics. I never cared for those versions; I enjoyed Justice League. When I looked closely I could see that Batman was in love with Wonder Woman."

"You know when a man finds a car on the lot that he loves. He loves the looks of it, the smell, and the way she rides and handles? He really wants that car, but he wants to think it over for a while, make sure it's right for him. Now he doesn't want to wait too long or someone else might try the car out. The only way to guarantee no one else rides in her is to buy her and put his name on the title. Without his name officially on that title, she's not legally his. You know what I'm saying?"

Ranger knew he was saying marry her, but he didn't answer him.

"You're a smart boy, you'll figure it out. I'll tell Wonder Woman you said hello."

And before Ranger could say anything Jed hung up. Ranger guessed he wanted him to think about things.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stephanie Plum or any of the other characters in the Plum universe.**

**A/N: I just want to say thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and alerted this story! It means a lot to me! I've enjoyed hearing all of your thoughts.**

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><p>Stephanie laughed as the can shot off of the post, "Now this kind of target practicing I kinda like. I don't know why, but it's more fun watching the can fly, then to see holes in a paper target."<p>

"That's because this is just for fun. A paper target still has the shape of a person, that's why you don't like it. Still, it's good to know you aren't a bad shot, if it came down to you having to fire."

"Is this part of my bridal mercenary training? You need to know I could protect my man if push came to shove?" Stephanie muttered sarcastically.

"I think your man can probably protect himself, but he would feel a lot better knowing you could protect yourself, if he wasn't around to do it. I already know you've killed before, and it's not hard to see you still haven't gotten over it."

Stephanie stared out at the cans lying on the ground, "How many people do I need to kill Jed, before it gets easy for me? When will my conscience be clear?"

"I don't think it would ever get easy for you Sassy. In your line of work though, it's going to be necessary from time to time. Some people just won't listen to niceties. You might think about that."

"What's to think about? Are you telling me I shouldn't be doing this job, I'm not tough enough, because I've got to tell you I've heard it countless times before."

"I think you're very tough. Not many people could go through the things you have and still be sane, or as close to sane as you are," Jed grinned. "But no, I don't think you're cut out for this line of work and I don't think you do either. It's not an insult, but you have to be cold and hard at times to do this. Apparently, you're a big warm softy. That's why you and Ranger are good for each other. You give each other balance. I have to wonder though, if you have a problem with Ranger being able to be hard and cold."

"I think Ranger has a dark past that he doesn't want me to know about."

"Of course he does. There are things he could never tell you about, and I imagine he wouldn't want to even if he could. It's not easy doing the things Ranger and I have had to do. You try to make the world a better place and that comes at a price. Not everyone can do it, but don't hold it against him because he can. Ranger has helped his country many times and he'll have to live with the nightmares that come with that for the rest of his life. He shouldn't have to worry how you secretly view him."

Stephanie was quiet while trying to process that bit of information. Did Ranger really worry about what she thought of him, and did he really have nightmares? She didn't know why, but she never thought about it before. Sometimes she thought nothing could scare him.

"You'd be surprised just how much your opinion truly matters to Ranger whether he'd admit it or not. A man doesn't want his woman to see him as a monster. And for future reference, if he does have a nightmare and you're around, don't question him about it or make a big deal. Just be there for him."

"More advice from Dear Jed?"

"Sassy, you need all the pearls of my wisdom you can get."

"Maybe you should write a book now that you're retired."

Jed laughed, "I might just do that. I've got someone coming to pick up the horses in a little bit. I asked his wife to pick up some ingredients and some simple, beginner recipes. You're cooking tonight. She also picked you up a dress and shoes. Go take a shower, and prepare a delectable feast."

"If it turns out bad, are you still taking me home tomorrow?"

"You're going home tomorrow."

"So you mentioned before about heading to Canada for a while. What are you going to do there?"

"I'm retired, I do whatever I want, but I need to make a trip to Brazil first and see an old acquaintance for coffee."

"Long way to go for a cup of coffee."

"It's my own unique special blend. I'm going out, so don't burn down the cabin."

Jed turned and walked back towards the truck, leaving Stephanie alone.

_Guess I've been dismissed. I wonder what a beginner's recipe is._

* * *

><p>Stephanie hadn't been out of the shower more than thirty minutes when she heard a knock. Josie and her husband Earl were there to get the horses, and she handed Stephanie a notebook with handwritten instructions for mashed potatoes, fried chicken, peas and carrots, and cornbread. Stephanie figured these were Earl's favorite foods, so maybe Jed liked them too and had requested them.<p>

Josie assured her she wrote step by step instructions and she wouldn't have any problems. She then handed her three bags and turned and left. Stephanie had actually made mashed potatoes before at her mothers, but it had been awhile. If they turned out a little lumpy, she'd just tell Jed she thought he'd like it that way. The peas and carrots were frozen in a bag so they were no fail. The chicken scared her. She had flashbacks to the hot grease splashing on her hands and arms from the fry baskets the horrible day she had to work at Cluck-in-a-Bucket. The chicken was going to be difficult, if she undercooked it, she could possibly kill them with Salmonella. It would probably be better to overcook then undercook. If it turned out a little black, she could just say it was Cajun. Stephanie gathered her frying pan and pots, gave herself a pep talk and got to work.

* * *

><p>She did it. She had actually accomplished something she never thought she would. She fixed dinner by herself. She burnt the first couple of pieces, but then she got the hang of it. She also ate those pieces so there was no evidence of her mistake. She even cleaned up the kitchen a little, had the table set, and was dressed in the simple but cute sundress that Josie bought her. The shoes were plain sensible black pumps, not FMP's, but she thought overall it looked pretty good. She actually felt a little like June Cleaver. She never considered what time Jed would come back though when she had started cooking, and now it was six fifteen, and she was afraid it was ruined. Her mother was right, one minute after six and it starts going downhill. She had just decided to put it all back in the pots and try to reheat when she heard the sound of tires on the gravel in the driveway. Finally! She went to the door to open it and yell for him to hurry up. <em>Huh, one meal and she had turned into her mother. <em>She stopped herself from going to the door, and sat down in a chair.

As the door opened she started, "What took you so long, it's getting cold?"

"Didn't know I was expected at a certain time Babe."

"Ranger! What are you doing here?"

Ranger glanced around the room taking in the table which was lit with candles, and looked back at Stephanie, "I thought I was rescuing you, but it looks like maybe I'm interrupting something."

"I think this is my graduation exam. Apparently cooking can be important and Jed wanted me to fix dinner. Where is Jed?" She had expected him to walk in after Ranger.

"He called me this morning and told me where you were at and to come pick you up. I imagine he left, so I wouldn't have to shoot him, and he wouldn't have to shoot me."

Stephanie thought about that for a minute, "You wouldn't really have shot him would you?"

"Babe."

Stephanie looked back at the door, "I can't believe he didn't say goodbye or anything. He acted like he was coming back. He told me to fix a delectable feast, got me this dress and"_….. he wanted me to fix it for_ _Ranger. My dinner for the man I love so he can be proud of me._ Stephanie felt her eyes start to water and looked away.

"Babe, are you crying?"

"No! Of course not. Do you want something to eat? I mean it's fried not grilled, and I used a lot of butter, but … Ranger would you like to have dinner with me?"

Ranger didn't comment on her red face. He didn't know why she was embarrassed, they'd eaten together before, but he walked over to the chair across from her and sat down.

Stephanie gave him a little smile. _It's now or never._ She picked up the bowl of potatoes and passed it to him, "Here, have some potatoes; I love you, would you like some cornbread?"

Ranger had reached for the bowl, but froze. He looked at Stephanie for a second, "Babe, did you just tell me you loved me and then ask if I wanted cornbread?"

Stephanie sighed, "I did. I thought it would be like ripping a band aid off, so I just threw it out there."

"So you're saying it's painful telling me that you love me?"

"Not painful, but hard. I don't know why it's so hard for me to say, I mean it's not just with you. I've always had a hard time saying it to anyone. But it's important to me that you know that I do love you. Would you like some chicken?"

Ranger gave her his full smile, "Is this going to be your new way of telling me? Saying I love you and then offering me food."

Stephanie laughed, "Maybe, just until I get the hang of it."

"I love you too Babe."

Stephanie looked at him. She thought back over every time he had helped her, all of the things he had did for her and given her. He never yelled at her. He was always patient with her. Sure he had been aggravated with her, but it had been short lived and he never held any mistakes against her. He had loved her better than anyone had ever loved her. His way was good. His way was the best.

"I know you do."

Stephanie took a bite of her potatoes. Not piping hot, but no lumps either. "If it's not hot enough, I can reheat it."

Ranger took a bite and shook his head, "No, it's good Babe. I didn't know you cooked."

"I don't. I started to give it a try once, but something happened and my first attempt didn't go well, so I didn't ever really try again," she shrugged. She had confessed her story to Jed and she thought it would probably remain a secret between the two. She glanced back to the door. "He didn't say when he'd be back or anything?"

Ranger stopped eating and looked at her, "You're not supposed to bond with your kidnapper's Babe."

Stephanie rolled her eyes, "I didn't!"

Ranger was still watching her.

"Okay, maybe he wasn't so bad and he kinda helped me sort through some stuff and figure things out. I think it was more an intervention then a kidnapping. I just thought he would have at least said goodbye. That's all."

"Jed helped you figure out cooking?"

Stephanie grinned, "He knew I should finish something I started. It feels sort of good that I did it."

"So you enjoy cooking now."

Stephanie thought back to her afternoon alone in the kitchen. Preparing a meal had always seemed like an impossible task to her. It had always intimidated her. She had certainly been intimated earlier, but she struggled through it and persevered. Did she enjoy it?

"You know, I really don't. I'm not sure it's going to be a new hobby, but I can do it if I ever want to, and that feels good. If I ever have to, I can whip up something besides peanut butter and olive sandwiches."

"They're not that bad."

Stephanie had chosen that moment to take a drink of her water, and got strangled. When she stopped coughing and wiped the tears streaming down her face, she glanced up at Ranger. He hadn't meant to say that, she could tell.

"You've eaten them before?"

"Babe."

"No, seriously you do not eat things like that. When did you try one?"

Ranger gave her his blank look, and she thought he wasn't going to answer her. After a few seconds he said, "You left some bread and peanut butter in my cabinets, I had some olives, so one evening I decided to try one and see why you enjoyed them so much."

Stephanie grinned at him. No one had ever tried one of her sandwiches before. Not Joe, not Dickie. They always said it was gross. Knowing Ranger cared enough about her to want to know why she liked them made her incredibly happy. And Valerie thought her cuddle umpkins was sweet. Stephanie realized Ranger probably wouldn't want to hear how sweet that was so she didn't comment. Also for some unknown reason she felt the need to share an embarrassing tidbit with him, since he didn't already know hundreds. This was an embarrassment just for him though.

"The people at the counter in Macy's now hide the sample bottle of Bulgari from me, because I spray so much of it whenever I pass by. It makes me think of you, especially when you're out of town, so I spray it all over my clothes and then it feels like you're close to me."

Ranger didn't comment to that, but Stephanie could tell he liked it.

"This is good Babe."

"Thanks," Stephanie actually felt giddy that she had fixed dinner for Ranger and he liked it. Okay so maybe it might be a little bit of fun fixing him some of his favorite foods. She'd have to snoop around and see if she could figure out one of his favorites.

"I'm not for sure what changes you've decided to make, but I need to discuss a few things with you."

Stephanie put her fork down and gave Ranger her full attention.

"As of this morning, Rangeman is now the owner of Vinnie's. We're still finalizing the details, but I will be making some changes. First off will be the name. I'm keeping Connie on as office manager and Lula as a receptionist and file clerk, although she will have some training first."

Stephanie smirked at that. Lula working for Batman. She'd be too afraid working for Ranger not to act professional.

"I'll be rotating some of the guys to work out of the bond's office. I won't have a position for you there."

_This could not be happening_. "You're firing me? Unbelievable! This is just great; it's like some curse or something. Stephanie fixes dinner and she gets screwed over yet again!" She grabbed Ranger's plate and headed to the sink. She felt so stupid. She thought they were sharing a moment. She had spent the last few days thinking about him, realizing she wanted more with him, and he spent the week doing business and getting rid of her. She felt Ranger standing behind her. She wasn't for sure what possessed her to do it, but before she could think of the consequences, she scooped up a handful of potatoes and turned and flung them in Ranger's face.

* * *

><p>Ranger had been caught off guard. Stephanie guessed no one had ever started a food fight with Batman. It didn't take him long to recover though, and before Stephanie could hit him with the peas and carrots, he had her hands restrained. She supposed the adrenaline was keeping her going and instead of stopping she kept fighting and somehow it turned into a wrestling match. They were both rolling around on the floor, Stephanie assumed Ranger was trying to avoid handling her to roughly, but that just made her mad. He apparently didn't mind breaking her emotionally. She figured she held her own for a good thirty seconds before Ranger had her fully restrained. He sat with one arm wrapped around her, one hand over her mouth, and his leg draped over her legs, holding them down. He didn't say anything for a minute; probably giving them both time to calm down.<p>

"I was not finished. I do not have a position for you at the bonds office; however I would like to offer you a position at Rangeman. Do you want to hear it?"

Stephanie shrugged her shoulders. When Ranger didn't continue, she nodded her head yes.

"I would like to use you for research, and customer relations. You were a buyer for EE Martin. I'd like you to use your business skills to help sell security for Rangeman. You said before I could use a woman working for the company fulltime. I've held off hiring anyone, hoping you would decide to come back. I won't force you to take it. If you really want to work at the bonds office, I'll make room for you after you complete an extensive training program. I could use you at Rangeman though. You have a way with people, and I think you could really help expand the company."

Ranger took his hand down from her mouth, "You would have your own office. You would handle client lunches, and dinners. I think most of our clients would feel more comfortable meeting with you. You'll have an expense account for clothing; you'll need business attire since you'll be out of the office a lot. You have good instincts, and I'd like you to use them in dealing with clients, and research when we need it. You'll also have a company car. Are you interested?"

Ranger was offering her a dream job. She felt so stupid now. She turned to look up at him, "I am. I'm also sorry I threw potatoes on you. I kinda snapped for a minute."

"You were scary Babe."

"I know. I thought you were cutting me out. It made me mad and it hurt."

"I'm trying to bring you in closer Babe, but there will have to be some compromises."

Stephanie figured there would, "Okay, let's hear it."

"If I bring you fully in my life, I need to take precautions to keep you safe. You'll continue to carry a personal tracker with you at all times as well as one on the vehicle you are driving. I'll also want to assign a bodyguard to you when you are out of the office."

"I've gotten use to the trackers, but a bodyguard, I don't know. That seems a little extreme."

"You won't know he's there if you don't want to."

"This is important to you?"

"You are important to me. I need to know you're safe as possible. I don't know how to do this Steph, I'm willing to try, but I don't know what I'm doing."

"Me neither, but do you love me?"

"More than anything."

"Then we'll figure it out. I love you too," She looked at the mess on the floor. "There's still chicken and cornbread, if you want some."

Ranger laughed. "You're combining your love for me with food again Babe."

"My lifelines."

* * *

><p>They got an early start back to Trenton the next day, and Stephanie checked the messages on her cell phone. Jed had left it in her bag. Most of the calls were from Lula and her mother, with one from the bank this morning. She decided to call and get that one over with. Maybe when she told them she had a new job, and would be depositing more in her account, they would agree to waive the fee this month, putting her back in the plus instead of minus. Linda left a message for her to call back as soon as it was convenient for her. They went to school together, and she thought maybe Linda could help her out.<p>

"Hey Steph, thank you so much for returning my call. We really don't recommend customers leaving so much cash in a checking account. You don't have a savings account with us, so we would like you to consider an IRA or CD."

"Very funny. Look, I'm changing jobs, so I'll be depositing more in my account soon. Could you maybe waive the fee as a onetime courtesy until I get my finances straightened out?"

Linda was quiet for a minute, "Steph five hundred thousand was wired into your account this morning. Just stop in as soon as you get a chance and someone here will help you decide which options you should consider."

Stephanie disconnected without saying goodbye. "He gave me the chance for variety," she said in disbelief. He didn't say goodbye, but he gave her half a million dollars.

"Babe?"

"He's giving me the chance for lean cuisines. Ranger I have to find him, please help me. He said he was going to Brazil, something about coffee and an old acquaintance."

Ranger shook his head in disbelief. How she did it he did not know. He had fallen madly in love with her, and Jedidiah had more or less adopted her. Probably she wouldn't want to know that Jed was taking out a possible threat to her, "Babe, I couldn't find him even if I tried. If he wants to be found, he'll let us know somehow. Maybe he'll send you a postcard."

"I feel like those people who just won publisher's clearing house. I can't believe he gave me his life savings."

Ranger let out a bark of laughter, "Babe, that's a drop in the bucket for him. That old man has a lot more than that. He probably didn't want to overwhelm you."

"Overwhelm me? Ranger yesterday I had minus twenty-five dollars!"

Stephanie's phone rang making her jump. She had hoped it would be Jed, but it was Lula.

"Hello?"

"Girl, everyone is talking about it! Shocked, I was shocked. I mean I suspected, but I never thought it would actually happen!"

Great, now they figured out she had been kidnapped. She didn't like the term. Jed had helped her, he was her friend. She didn't want anyone thinking badly of him.

"I'm alright, it all worked out. I'm actually on my way home now."

"Well, you need to get over to your mother's house. Mary-Lou and Valerie are arguing it's going to be them, Mary-Lou's in a tiff thinking Kelli will try to get it. I know it's going to be me, but I'm not even going to tell them, I'll let you do that."

"Lula what are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about? Maid of Honor! What else would I be talking about? Everyone's talking about it. When Kelli called me and told me to check out the morning paper, I didn't know what to think. Then she told me how Batman came out there and proposed like that. Girl, I didn't know he could be so romantic. "

"Wait a minute, what do you mean Maid of Honor and morning paper?" Stephanie looked over at Ranger who was listening intently.

"Girl, it's on the front page and your mama's phone has been ringing off the hook. Of course this time it's not because you blew something up. Girl you and Batman are famous! No one else's engagement announcement ever gets on the front. That's how big this is. You hurry up and get over here. If you want a June wedding, we got a lot of work to do and I'm taking classes now too you know since I have a high position at Rangeman. What….. I don't know? Your mama wants to know if you're going to use black as one of your colors."

Stephanie snapped her phone shut.

"I guess he's planning on visiting in June."

Stephanie couldn't find her voice to answer him.

"I think maybe it would be better if we eloped in May, Babe. It might be safer for your dad, just in case Jed was planning on walking you down the aisle."

That statement snapped her out of her stupor, "Are you serious?"

"You never can tell with Jed. I'll put a man on your dad in the meantime."

Stephanie grinned at him and shook her head.

"Big day Babe. What excites you more, the money, our surprise engagement or seeing Jed Again?"

"I think I'm dreaming! This doesn't seem real. Ranger if Jed does come back, couldn't you find a place for him at Rangeman? "

"Babe!"

"What? He would be a very valuable asset to your company. Look at all of the experience he would be bringing. You said yourself, you can't even find him. He could help train your men or something."

"Babe, my men would be terrified of him."

Stephanie snorted, "He's an old man, be serious."

"I am being serious."

"Even Tank?"

"Especially Tank."

"Please? Just think about it, okay."

Ranger picked up her hand and kissed it. She said please, and she wanted it, so he knew he would give it to her. Hopefully she'd change her mind!

**THE END**


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